Ask Good Girls Do It Mediocre

[Zana Ryks]

Diplomatic missions were always important for the Jedi Order, not only to grow and strengthen bonds with existing friends but more importantly to create new ones. It didn't hurt either to expand their influence beyond the current borders, both securing assets and vital resources they could direct to worlds in need better than the 'market' might have done itself.

Zana had been granted an audience with the President of Genassa whose world was an agricultural powerhouse. Gaining their support and friendship would give the Order a powerful ally in the region and massively increase their ability to levy food type aid to the regions ravaged by the constant wars and atrocities raging across the galaxy.

Accompanying the knight for this mission was a similarly aged Padawan, whose own knighthood was surely pending. Nailing this mission would be a neat little feather in Natalie's cap as she undertook the upcoming trials, Zara thought to herself.

"We should be arriving shortly" She mused aloud with a cheeky smirk. "Remember, we're here to make friends."

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Another mission with another knight. At least this one didn't make her mind blue-screen from having a jawli- Nope, not thinking about it right now! There were more important things to think about right now. Like did Natalie want the wafers with the sticky butter in the middle or did she want the bag of dried fruit. Her hazel eyes stared into the vending machine, a box infinite possibilities as long as you had the coin to spare.

Of course, one was healthy and had a fifty-fifty chance of tasting terrible. She'd already put in the coin needed. She typed the code for the wafers into the machine. The gods of the spiral spring found fit to grace her with a flawless snack drop. Natalie reached into the compartment to collect her prize. With a bag of sticky-butter wafers in hand, she used the Force to reach back into the machine and spit the coin she had placed in it back out of the change slot.

She pocketed the coin, and opened the bag of wafers, turning to find the Knight there with a cheeky smirk. Had she said something? "Hm?" Natalie hummed, mouth full of sticky-butter wafer goodness. Something about friends right? Guess the Knight didn't hear much about Natalie then. Natalie making friends was a rarity; at least among the Order.

Instead of her usual black robes, Natalie was dressed in a more casual outfit, sporting a white tank top with a rock band logo, white short shorts with frayed ends, some sneakers, a black pleather jacket and a dark beanie over her chestnut hair. She looked down at her bag of wafers, then back up at the Knight, holding the bag out. "Want some?" See? Making friends already.

@Xorism

 

[Zana Ryks]

Each mission the Order undertook was another step towards securing their future, was it a fool's errand to hope that there would be generations that would see a life without war? Perhaps it was, given the state of the galaxy and its inherent designs toward chaos. But that didn't mean that it wasn't worth striving for.

Zana glanced at the small bag of wafers. "Oh, you got the good ones. Sure." The Togruta reached over for a small handful, before chucking a few into her mouth to savour the taste.

Ahead, they'd spot what appeared to be their destination, along with a gathered escort for good measure. Scrambled among the crowd an impeccably dressed, tall woman flanked by several others, including a handful of children ranged from five to seventeen. Popping out together, the Jedi were welcomed by none other than the President and her family at their farmstead home.

"Welcome to Genassa, I trust that your journey was pleasant?" She started with a cheerful smile. President Mellou had been in office for a few years by now, and the family was well versed in protocol. Well, except for her 17-year-old daughter whose attention was anywhere but here and neither did she wish to dress professionally. Instead, choosing business casual, if you could call it that. Her mother called it progress.

"Thank you, President Mellou, it was." Zana politely answered for herself, inclining her head respectfully. Soon they were led inside and toward a quieter room for the discussion, although Natalie could find something else to do if she chose.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

The walk off the ship was a short one before they reached the president, but it felt long. One could say it was almost 10 rounds of posting long. As if each step brought them closer, and yet they could never quite get there. Luckily, Natalie didn't have that problem. Her super power of being able to zone out would win gold medals if it were an Galympic sport. It was because of this that by the time Natalie came back to the land of the present, they were already at the president.

The seventeen year old daughter stared at Natalie, and Natalie stared at her. A battle played out within their minds between them. Would Natalie share the wafers? Would the girl take them and run? Would they let bygones and bygones and live in harmony? The mental battle was inconclusive. Time to make friends fro real. Natalie offered the bag of wafers to the daughter. The daughter was so moved by the gesture, she took the bag of wafers and left the group alone for the remainder of the trip. When she would take over ruling, she would forever be grateful and friendly to the Jedi. Or at least to Natalie.)

"It was alright," Natalie said, turning to the president, her expression still showing the slight confusion of what the hell just happened with the kid.

(OOC: Rolled a nat 20 on the giving the kid snacks)

@Xorism

 

[Zana Ryks]

Though Zana was primarily focused on meeting the President's needs and whims, she did not entirely miss the phenomena that was unfolding beside them. With mighty luck, some might even say a one in twenty chance, Nat had offered this unruly child's favourite snack of all time. Unbeknownst to the Padawan, it had been some ten years since a horrible, fateful day.

Sitting there alone in the playground, the young Zaie sat perched on a swing, eating the remains of a shared bag of sticky-butter wafery treats. The little girl burst into tears as she watched her bestiest friend, for life, walk away for the last time. A friendship born of keeping secrets like who their crush was for the next period and when they totally didn't do their homework but convinced the teacher their dog ate it, type thing.

A friendship developed over an entire lifetime of the second grade.

Meanwhile, they took a seat together in the living space, with smiles abound. Taking the initiative, Zana set to work. "Madam President, thank you for seeing us." The togruta pushed back comfortably into the chair, smiling. "We would like to discuss the possibility of Genassa and the Order broadening our ties to something more official." With the state of the galaxy, and the continuing plans of Imperial expansionism, it was only a matter of time before their drop-ships arrived.

The President in turn nodded, as an employee walked in with a pot of tea and several cups for the group. Taking one for herself, the lady of the house sipped from hers before speaking. "The Empire's actions are concerning for sure, and we are most dismayed to hear what became of Bastion and the rumours coming from Dathomir? Abhorrent"

She next turned to Natalie, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear with a smile. "I haven't seen my daughter smile in ten years, and I cannot begin to even explain the joy that brings my old bones. So, thank you." For a few moments, the President lingered upon the happy thought before asking Nat a question. "Our trade is food, not weapons. We can supply more than we could ever use, but we wouldn't be able to begin to know what to do with it beyond our borders. So I guess my question for you would be, how would you use our resources if we worked together?"

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Natalie followed the Knight and the President until they all sat down. Her attention was on the smiling girl that was really only a few years younger than herself. Why was she so happy about snacks? Well, they were some fantastic snacks. Natalie would be pretty damn happy to be given snacks randomly too. Now that she thought about it, she saw herself in that seventeen-year old girl. Except the girl had a nice cushy life here on an agriculture world while Natalie was dodging Hutts, pirates, and boring Jedi Master classes.

It wasn't until the president addressed Natalie directly that she actually began paying attention. "Snacks do be doing what snacks will do," she said. It made sense in her mind, and that was all that mattered. Stay strong SnackGirl. Stay strong.

The first thought that came to Natalie's mind with the president's question was of course to eat the food. That's what food was for! But a president would surely be smart enough to know that food was meant to be eaten, so that clearly wasn't the question. No, the president wanted the tactical abilities of the food. How many tons of food could be carpet bombed over a city before the city said "enough!" It was a skill set Natalie was well versed in.

"Food is as much a weapon as weapons are. An army can't run on an empty stomach, no matter how big or small. If you're worried about contributing to the Jedi taking the threats of the galaxy to pound town, food is a good way to do it," she said. "Otherwise, food can be used humanitarian aid too. War, natural disasters, cafeteria disasters, they all require food to help. Genassa would not just being helping the Jedi secure peace, but be helping countless worlds." Padawan Hopeless her ass!

@Xorism

 

[Zana Ryks]

The president nodded along in acknowledgement. While the open market had been a tad chaotic with the collapse of the major powers in recent years, massive threats terrorising core worlds and the like, disrupting many trade routes. For a world like their own, it had been rather profitable, but the altruistic leader didn't feel this was all they could be doing.

"I'm glad to hear that, we are of one mind." She said, taking another sip of her tea. "Knight Ryks, forgive me for suggesting doubt, but it is my job to do so."

Speaking politely and directed the order generally rather than the pair in front of her, she treaded delicately. "If we aligned with the Jedi, our world would be taking a side and thus at risk of being drawn into your struggles. How would you aid us, when we need it?"

Zana smiled as Natalie nailed the answer in her very own way, turning to face the president directly once the conversation returned to her. "The order has the support of the potent Ailon defense force, and powerful fleets that can defend your world from hostile action. And of course, scores of Jedi who would stand before any threat you faced."

The president seemed content with the answer, although it was also a risk to stay neutral, as this would mean one would have no friends to call upon if something did go wrong. Weighing the options between the choices would be difficult as their results would be significant, but that was why she was paid the big bucks.

The youngest child took the opportunity to speak up within the brief window of silence that broke through the room. Racing across the floor, the five-year-old looked mesmerised by Natalie and stumbled through his very important question. "Did you bring your lightsaber? Can I see it?? Pleeeeease." The adorable boy appeared terribly excited to meet Jedi in person, at last.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Natalie was glad when the president switched her attention back to the Knight. Talk about putting a girl on the spot. Everything was so formal and uptight in these conversations. Diplomacy was the life of a Jedi though; gotta be a good little nun! Where was the talk of food? Where was the talk of smacking things with a glowbat? Natalie couldn't fathom ever being the president of something; having to wear a suit and talking all formal. It was almost enough to put her to sleep in the chair.

Except a small savior appeared. A small angelic boy with a heart of gold. He wanted to see her lightsaber, and the little shin kicker would look so adorable waving it around. Right before he'd cut off his own head, of course. Natalie enjoyed a good bit of chaos, but headless children wasn't something on her list of things she wanted to see. Except in a holo-movie maybe. Nah, they'd just ruin it. Fucking Galawood.

She reached under her shirt, pulling out the hidden lightsaber hilt tucked in her short-shorts. The very first thing she did was set it to it's lowest possible setting. "Sure, buddy," she said, standing up and moving behind the kid as she placed the lightsaber in his hands. She kept complete control of his hands, making sure that she could grab the lightsaber out of them in an instant, and that he couldn't go wild with it. At least this was more fun than talking about presidential mumbo-jumbo! "Press this button to ignite it. It's gonna get a bit heavy when the blade's out."

The kid pressed the button, a blue blade sprang forth with a snap-hiss. He giggled as Natalie lead him through swinging it around in simple little swings from side to side.

@Xorism

 

[Zana Ryks]

The president respectfully asked for their leave to make a few phone calls before making her decision, leaving the kids alone with the two jedi. Zana watched with a slight concern in her eyes as Natalie got so very close to the children with the lightsaber, even with it being on a lower power setting, it was an unnecessary risk.

But being a stalwart ally and companion, Zana wouldn't raise it in front of their other guests and would instead compartmentalise it for later. After all, it would have been a rather interesting conversation to tell their mother to trust the same order that accidentally stunned one of her kids. But Zana's fears were unfounded, and not having to interfere with the display, much to her relief.

After some time passed, the president returned with good news. Not only would they agree to supply shipments of agricultural goods for both the Order's needs and galactic assistance needs, but in fact, they would also agree to publicly align with the Jedi order itself.

The main concern, of course, was the belligerent empire, but given the circumstances around the galaxy and the major threats posed, the lesser of two evils between being sandwiched by abominations or the Imperial Navy had to be chosen. Thanking the President and her family for their time, the two Jedi wasted no time returning to their shuttle outside.

Once out of earshot and boarding, Zana turned to Nat with a half I-don't-wanna-do-this-but look on her face. "Thank you for not letting the lil guy knock himself out, it would have been quite a challenge if it had. But maybe next time, you can show off your swordsmanship without, you know?" The togruta waved her hands around, gesturing with a half smile.

@TheDudeMike

Roll: 17

 

[Natalie Hope]

Natalie had thoroughly tuckered the little guy out by the time the president came back. He rushed off to take a nap or something, and Natalie disengaged her lightsaber, turning the power back to full, and then stuffed it back where it had been hidden in her shorts and shirt. Turns out, a little snacks and some impromptu lightsaber training did wonders for securing alliances. Who would have thought!?

Apparently not Zana. Natalie gave the Knight a how-could-you-doubt-me look and shook her head. "Had the little guy's hands the whole time. Perfectly safe," she said. As they boarded the shuttle and the doors closed, effectively sealing their words in the vessel with them, she spoke again. "Would have been hilarious though, right?" Natalie gave her a shit-eating grin. Remembering that she'd given away most of her snacks, she made her way to the vending machine again. With the same trick as before she secured another bag of sticky-butter wafers.

"How much you wanna bet we're gonna see both of those kids in a Jedi Temple some day?" she asked, plopping down in one of the seats across from the Knight. "Bet they'd bring better food to the cafeteria on Starlight. Still can't believe they don't have a fucking vending machine on that tin can."

@Xorism

 

[Zana Ryks]

Zana let out a small chuckle before correcting herself. The mission had gone successfully, and that had to count for something, right? Even if they hadn't run into any trouble directly with it, that didn't mean they would always be so lucky. Soon Nat would be a knight in her own right and would have to take on the responsibilities that came with it, for better or worse.

"I would not be surprised in the slightest, actually." She broke off to ponder the thought for a moment. "Perhaps that helped our negotiation along?" Regardless of any ulterior motives, they would be able to report back success and, in the short term, use the additional resources to aid the galaxy in the wake of all the destruction.

As their ship ascended and the final preparations for a hyperspace jump were being made, Zana turned to Nat with a charming grin. "They're your friends now, Nat. Why don't you ask them to?" The thought of a couple of young initiates running a vending machine cabal in the order was enough to break even Zana into stitches, as they zoomed off into the starlight beyond.

@TheDudeMike

/end thread